The power of a smile :)

Long back, I had read this on a shopping bag and connected to it. This quote became a part of my talks with friends, whenever we used to speak of teenage body-image problems.

Smile became a part of my existence.

There were smiles that were put on.

There were smiles which were genuine.

There were smiles which stretched the cheeks,

Smiles that reached the eyes.

And my favourite–smiles that lit up faces!

Yet, in my mind, it was still a cosmetic component.

I was always drawn to people, friends with ready smiles. No wonder I was drawn to the sit-com “The Mentalist!” Somehow that guy’s smile stuck in the memory.

A few weekends back, I was preparing for an hour-long talk with the teachers of a prestigious school in mulund, St. Mary’s. Now I have had consultation sessions with teachers in my consulting room, also had a talk on parenting with a few teachers in the audience. This was the first time I would be addressing a roomful of teachers! As a naughty school going child I have been wary of teachers.

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Time only knows how many teachers might have dreaded having me in class! And now it was payback time! Its time for me to dread having teachers in class.

I do EFT, put in my affirmations and yes, my talk and slideshow was ready and raring to go. I think I am ready. There I enter the school and the audit room to find a roomful of kids watching a dreary documentary on the respiratory system. The school girl in me is all attention. To add to it, I am told that the teachers have been through parent teacher meetings earlier in the day and as it is these sessions are something that is compulsory for them to sit through.

Before the panic hit, “The Mentalist” came to the rescue. Out of nowhere I saw images of that smile–which shines through in the toughest of situations. Yup, I do knows its just a character, but what a beautifully conceptualized character. Can it work in real life? What better time than now to find out!

I decide to go around the room and smile to myself. And sure indeed, the dreary feelings seemed to lessen. I could face the audience, welcoming them with a smile. The talk flowed smoothly with stories and humor flowing at the right time. Punctuated by healthy doses of smiles, of course.

Several of the teachers came up and confessed that they dreaded to attend another session. But were pleasantly surprised by the light manner in which the session unfolded. Their weary and tired faces were brightly lit up with smiles! It was as though a smile epidemic had infected the room.

That is when I experienced the true power of the smile!

The next day, there was a meeting a bereaved mother. It would have been easy to sympathize and connect to the lamenting and the feelings of loss. But the thought came, what good would that do? Yes, the mother needed to express and vent out. Yet, there was also a human inside, on the threshold of a life which has changed but still moves on. I decided to connect to that human essence. I decided to keep an inner smile glowing. And soon enough the lady herself was smiling, slowly but surely.

Viola. That is powerful! Not just does it effect you, it also has a powerful transformational effect on all those who comes in touch with it. And its not even have to be a physical one, just the essence and thought of a smile is enough.

The essence of the smile builds the perfect foundation to sow the seeds for compassionate outcomes.